Mumbai-Pune Expressway Reopens After 32-Hour Shutdown Caused by Overturned Gas Tanker
Mumbai-Pune Expressway reopens after 32-hour closure due to overturned gas tanker in Khandala Ghat.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway reopened early Thursday morning after a nearly 32-hour shutdown caused by an overturned gas tanker in the Khandala Ghat section of Raigad district. The tanker, carrying propylene, capsized around 5 pm on Tuesday on a downward slope, causing a gas leak that forced authorities to suspend traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway as a safety precaution. The reopening comes after extensive clearance operations using cranes and safety teams.
Traffic began moving at around 1.40 am once the damaged tanker was removed from the accident site. Despite both carriageways being operational, significant congestion remained, particularly near Lonavala, where queues stretched between five and ten kilometers. Drivers stranded overnight were found asleep in their vehicles, unaware that traffic had resumed, slowing the clearance process.
Traffic police teams were deployed along the expressway to wake commuters and restore flow, especially between Khandala Pass and Vadgaon Maval in Pune district. Authorities noted that congestion persisted on both the expressway and adjoining older routes due to the massive backlog of vehicles accumulated during the closure. Normal traffic flow is expected to take several more hours to fully resume.
Also Read: 20-Km Jam Traps Hundreds on Mumbai-Pune Expressway After Gas Tanker Crash
Hundreds of commuters, including women and children, endured long hours in their vehicles without sufficient access to food, water, or sanitation facilities, highlighting the scale of disruption on India’s first six-lane, access-controlled concrete expressway. Drone footage released by authorities showed vehicles bumper-to-bumper for over 20 kilometers, underscoring the severity of the incident.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), and highway police coordinated to secure the site, manage the gas transfer operation, and ensure safe removal of the tanker. Officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) confirmed that full normalcy will be restored only after the accumulated backlog of vehicles is completely cleared.
Also Read: 20-Km Jam Traps Hundreds on Mumbai-Pune Expressway After Gas Tanker Crash
